Council Considers Enforcing Anti-blight Law

FARMINGTON — In a town known for expensive housing developments and country clubs, there is also a scattering of sagging buildings and untidy properties that local officials want cleaned up.

The town has identified 13 properties that would have to be repaired or refurbished if the council determines they fall under a local anti- blight ordinance.

Failure to comply could result in fines of up to $100 daily or having the town place a lien on the property. The property could ultimately be demolished if the structure poses a threat to public safety.

The council will review the list of properties for the first time at its meeting Monday night at town hall. If the list is approved, property owners will be notified and given time to make necessary changes. All but one of the properties appears to be uninhabited.

Council members said punishing property owners is not the intent of the ordinance; the idea is to improve the town's appearance.

``The goal is to work with people to help clean up the community,'' said Councilman Michael Schloss, who originally proposed the ordinance. It was unanimously adopted by the council in December.

Most agree that blight is a relatively minor problem in Farmington, where the average house is assessed at $140,000 and many neighborhoods showcase homes with considerably higher values.

But an inspection came up with 13 properties around the town that could qualify as blighted, according to the criteria in the ordinance. The list includes former businesses and homes, many of which have been boarded up for years.

Former businesses on South Main Street in Unionville and one further down the road on Plainville Avenue made the list. It also includes a barn on Plainville Avenue, homes on South Road, Ely Road, Fienemann Road, Keene Place, Orchard Street, Scott Swamp Road, and two each on Farmington Avenue and Hatters Lane.

The town's building inspector, Mark St. Pierre, visited each of the sites and completed a detailed listing of their specific violations. Common violations include trash on the grounds, missing windows, evidence of vermin infestation and grass and weeds that have grown wild.

``We want property owners to do a little bit to improve their property,'' said Nicholas Scata, a member of the council. ``We're just looking for them to get rid of boarded windows and keep their grass at a normal level. It comes down to the property owner taking responsibility.''

Farmington's ordinance was modeled largely after one already in effect in neighboring Newington.

A property could be considered blighted if it has missing or boarded-up windows and doors, collapsing or missing walls, roofs, or floors, holes in the outside walls, cracked foundations, decrepit chimneys, torn screens, overgrown grass, trash, vermin infestation and abandoned vehicles.